Wrecking ball
Sir Richard Eyre’s new Manon Lescaut at the Met Friday night demonstrated no particular aptitude for opera.
Metropolitan Opera
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Chat: Manon Lescaut
Welcome, cher public, to the real-time chat (or at least commentary) for tonight’s Met premiere of Manon Lescaut, starting at 7:55 PM ET on Listen Live.
Il core vi dono
With February 14th falling on a Sunday, there will be no Valentine’s Day Met performance this year.
Not nobody, not nohow!
“Mr. Luisi won praise replacing Mr. Levine time after time, particularly in a costly version of Wagner’s Ring cycle—though, perhaps in a sign of the situation’s delicacy, the two conductors have never met in person.”
The double negative has led to proof positive
La Cieca thinks she knows who the murderer is.
The toothless tiger rules the restless jungle
It’s up to you, cher public, to try to decide for yourself what, if anything, this bizarre story in the New York Times means.
Queen for a D
Friday’s season premiere at the Met of Donizetti’s opera about the doomed Scottish queen proved surprisingly satisfying and a genuine success for Sondra Radvanovsky.
Uomo non vidi mai
From the Met: “Jonas Kaufmann has canceled his performances in this season’s new production of Puccini’s Manon Lescaut due to illness.”
For the birds
A “lone voice in the wilderness” booed Barbara Frittoli’s calamitous Nedda.
Embroidered silk
Maria Agresta‘s delicately-acted, sumptuously-sung seamstress transformed what might have been just an average Wednesday night revival into something finer.
A fire upon the deep
Returning after 99 years for the Met’s annual New Year’s Eve gala, Bizet’s youthful exercise in Orientalia Les Pêcheurs de Perles proved a real crowd-pleaser.
Dark of the moon
“Dmitri Hvorostovsky has withdrawn from his upcoming performances of Verdi’s Il Trovatore—February 3, 6, 9, and 13 matinee—due to his ongoing treatment for a brain tumor. Juan Jesús Rodríguez will sing di Luna in these performances, making his Met debut.” So says the Met press office.
80, girls, 80
The Met’s pilot program of octogenarian outreach looks to be a smashing success.
On boroughed time
“By the end of next year… the axis of opera in New York may just possibly have shifted from Lincoln Center to a loft in Gowanus.”
Wan lake
The sound of Joyce DiDonato, Lawrence Brownlee and John Osborn nailing La Donna del Lago’s thrilling second-act trio alone made worthwhile enduring one of the ugliest, most bone-headed productions seen at the Metropolitan Opera in many a year.
Eminence grise
Even when he’s not conducting the production, or, for that matter, even after the production is closed, Maestro Levine remains a presence on the Met’s website.
Out of hell
One can only pray that “three strikes, you’re out” applies at the Met. If so, we can rest easy that Jeremy Sams won’t be getting any new assignments.
Text appeal
The festivities begin at 1:00 PM today with La bohème.
As the Crowe flies
Mireille Asselin will sing the role of Adele in this evening’s season premiere performance of Johann Strauss, Jr.’s Die Fledermaus.”
Half a million marks
Unlike my friend Greg Freed, who entertainingly wrote of his ambivalence about seeing Il trovatore in a movie theater this season, I have embraced the Met Live in HD transmissions as a part of the modern operagoing experience.
Something to do after brunch
La Cieca hears that Peter Gelb and representatives of the Met’s various unions (not pictured) have begun preliminary plans for adding regular Sunday performances to the company’s schedule.
Novecentonovantanove
Roberto De Biasio and Gwyn Hughes Jones will sing Pinkerton in the initial performances of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly at the Met this spring.
Enigma variation
On Thursday evening Jennifer Wilson “finally” made a belated, disappointing Met debut as Turandot.
Lulu’s back in town
Continuing coverage of the Met’s new Alban Berg spectacular.
Win a Free Ticket to Opening Night at the Met!
Quinn Kelsey and Lise Davidsen star in the Met's new Macbeth. We're giving away one ticket, so screw your courage to the sticking place and enter now!
I’ll take the fall
The days are getting shorter, but you can keep the prattle going this fall’s Talk of the Town! You will, you can, you must join in the discussion about: Great mezzo soprano performances (October),
Gained in translation (November), Teleport me back to… (December).
